Small farmers complain of damages due to chicken boycott campaign

Agadir24

Professionals complained about the damages that may be caused to them as a result of the new campaign launched by Facebook activists to boycott the consumption of chicken, in response to its price reaching more than 30 dirhams per kilogram these days.

In light of the boycott’s impact on the demand for the most popular white meat in consumption, these professionals warned in press statements that the biggest losers are small and medium-sized farmers who “have no say in the prices,” as they put it.

They explained that the high cost of production is the reason for the high prices, as a result of the control of large companies over chick prices, calling on the government to intervene to reduce the prices of chicks and compound feed.

In response to the issue, the President of the National Association of Broiler Breeders, Mohamed Aboud, acknowledged that “the boycott remains a legitimate right for Moroccans, but it threatens to deepen the miserable situation experienced by small and medium-sized breeders in particular, because they are not responsible for the increase in production costs due to the high cost of chicks and feed.”

Aaboud explained that “the record levels of chicken prices are due to the greed of major companies that periodically resort to reducing their production of chicks in order to ensure that the price of a chick remains at 10 dirhams currently, as well as the failure to respond to the appeals of professionals to reduce customs duties on imported compound feed from abroad, which in turn is still subject to the monopoly of major companies.”

The same speaker pointed out that “the cost of producing chicken currently ranges between 16 and 18 dirhams per kilogram, and it is sold from farms for 20 to 22 dirhams,” attributing these prices to “the rise in the price of a chick to 10 dirhams, and the price of a kilogram of feed reaching at least 5 dirhams, despite its decline at the global level.”

The head of the Moroccan Association of Poultry Meat Producers concluded that “the profit margin is diminishing for small and medium-sized breeders, especially those who lose significant numbers of their chicken flocks daily, due to their lack of advanced systems for cooling the barns in light of the high heat waves that the country is recording.”

In contrast, this increase in prices has angered and displeased consumers, who have expressed their anger at these unprecedented increases in the prices of chicken, which is a staple in the daily meals of many Moroccan families.

A number of activists and social media pioneers launched a digital campaign under the hashtag “Khalih Yaqaqi” to boycott the purchase of chicken meat in protest against its price rising to record levels exceeding 30 dirhams per kilogram.

Moroccans on social media expressed their dissatisfaction with the successive and repeated increases in the prices of chicken, which was their refuge from the blazing prices of red meat, which reached 150 dirhams for lamb and 110 dirhams for veal.

This comes at a time when Moroccan markets are witnessing fluctuations in the prices of many other consumer goods, which has led to a decline in demand for them, while waiting for their price to stabilize in the market, while the debate continues between producers, traders and the consumer, who remains the weakest link in this chain.